Saskia Maarleveld's seductive, breathy voice is just right for this richly plotted novel. Emilia Winthrop, the caretaker's daughter at Summerly, the elegant Peabody estate, is enjoying her first summer following WWII. The Peabody sons return from the war, and their worldly Aunt Olive moves into a guest cottage. Maarleveld's range of voices swings from youthful to elderly with ease. When FBI agent Sumner Fox arrives in search of a spy who's transmitting atomic secrets from Summerly, he insists that Emilia help him. Maarleveld's pacing is spot-on, and her characterizations are consistently believable. She keeps the espionage subplot intense and the romance between Emilia and Shep Peabody sizzling. Glamorous backgrounds, romance, and international suspense give Maarleveld the raw materials to ensure this audiobook is an entertaining listen.
Pub Date: June 27, 2023
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063020870
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ayla, one of the "others," is adopted by a clan of Neanderthal cave people. She struggles to conform to their ways, but her advanced human traits overwhelm and threaten their primitive culture in this initial installment of an immensely popular series. Although the story might benefit from abridgment, Rowena Cooper easily carries out the formidable task of enlivening the mostly silent and stereotypical characters with consistent, diverse personalities and human dimension. Through skillful phrasing and inflection, she maintains the reader's interest and suspense, especially with Ayla and her plight, throughout this rambling and imaginative story.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This lyrical, sensual novel of woman's lot in Manchu, China, is as well researched as it is well written. Authentic in tone, it's nonetheless written for Westerners by a Western expert on China. Moreover, Susan Clark performs the demanding text superbly, with only occasional signs of fatigue. For the most part she not only sustains the quaint diction and Asian atmosphere, but also, creates whole worlds with her voice. She acts the book, rather than reads it, and, in so doing, turns a pretty trifle into a stupendous beauty.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Literature
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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